There’s nothing more satisfying than a great arm day and a massive pump…nothing more satisfying that is, except for arms that show you actually train them.

You know what I’m talking about – thick, meaty, defined arms that, flexed or not, bulge with definition and curves that wrap around your biceps, triceps, and elbows, giving you an upper body physique that looks like it was sketched from your favorite super hero comic book.

If you’ve been weight lifting for a while now, you know that training the hell out of your biceps is not the way to attain this look – it’s tricep training instead that gives you a bigger looking upper arm. Still, that’s not the only way to go about gaining arm size and raw strength.

I’ve decided to reach into my own treasure trove of tricks and bless you with some time tested knowledge.

First – forget about pure aesthetics. There’s one muscle that’s often neglected – the brachialis.

(Anatomography, 2013; ExRx, 2006; ExRx, 1999)

This undervalued muscle is one of your “inner strength” muscles (which I elaborate on extensively in SUPP UP. Gym In A Bag), which give you good, raw, strength, with the added bonus being better looking arms.

Put simply, the brachialis, also known as the lower bicep, is seated much deeper in your arm than the biceps brachii – the most common muscle body builders obsess over training…but here’s a little secret, sunshine…

While your bicep appears as a large anterior bulge on the arm, your brachialis underlying it generates about 50% more power.

Because the brachialis is seated so deep in the arm, as you train it and it grows, it actually spreads your biceps and triceps further apart from each other – making for a fuller, thicker arm.

Wanna try your hand at a workout that’ll help grow this under-utilized muscle? Try this one on for size, starting with Cross Body Hammer Curls (which hit the brachialis directly), and some Fat Gripz:

Split Your Seams Arm Workout

8 sets of 12 reps of each exercise. 30-45 seconds MAX rest time between sets.

A-1, A-2 and B-1, B-2 means exercises are to be done in alternation until sets are complete.

So first do A-1, 30-45 sec rest, then A-2, 30-45 sec rest, then back to A-1, then A-2 again until you reach 8 sets each. Then do B-1, rest, B-2, rest, then back to B-1, then B-2 and so on.

Make sure the weight you use in each exercise is enough where you can just barely get to 12 reps. As always, strict form is important.

See how you get through this and let me know if you’re sore the next day. This works for both men and women, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s easy.

One more tip – always start your arms workouts by training the brachialis first when it comes to weight lifting, and if you can remember to warm up your triceps with some Tricep pushdows (with rope) if you have access to a machine.

There’s another great way to develop or contribute to getting even bigger arms, in conjunction with this, which those of you who bought my book already know about. If you haven’t read my book yet, well…you know what to do.